Olympus PEN-F Review

February 24, 2016 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The Olympus PEN-F is a stylishly retro compact system camera that harks back to the original PEN-F film camera from 1963. The all-metal PEN-F has a 5-axis image stabilisation system worth up to 5 stops, a new 20-Megapixel Live MOS Micro Four Thirds sensor with no low pass filter, Supersonic Wave Filter anti-dust technology, 4K time-lapse movie mode and the TruePic VII processing unit. The PEN-F also features an external flash hotshoe, built-in electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2.36 million dots and 100% frame coverage, a vari-angle 3-inch LCD touchscreen, an electronic shutter with a top shutter speed of 1/16,000 sec, focus peaking, a new Creative dial, Live Composite Mode for previewing long exposures, a customisable self-timer, 10fps continuous shooting, 50-Megapixel high resolution shot capability, Wi-Fi connectivity and in-camera HDR exposure blending. The Olympus PEN-F is available in black or silver. The Olympus PEN-F body only costs £999.99 / $1199, the PEN-F and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm 1-3.5-5.6 EZ Pancake lens kit £1099.99, PEN-F and the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm 1:1.8 lens kit is £1199.99.

Ease of Use

The Olympus PEN-F is one of the most good-looking cameras that has ever graced the Photography Blog test bench, boasting a beautifully-realised retro design with not one screw-head in site. Importantly it also feels very robust and reassuringly solid in-hand thanks to its magnesium-alloy body. With dimensions of 124.8 x 72.1 x 37.3mm, it's similar in size to the Olympus E-M10 Mark II camera, and weighs almost the same too at 373g body-only.

Unlike the more expensive OM-D camera range, the new PEN-F isn't weather-sealed, a concession to its lower price-point. There's no actual hand-grip on the front of the camera, just a textured leatherette finish which is sufficient enough to be able to still hold the camera nice and steady when shooting handheld, ably assisted by a much more pronounced thumb-grip on the rear.

Low light sensitivity stretches all the way from ISO 80 up to a pro-like ISO 25600, partly down to the implementation of the noise reducing TruePic VII processor, which is also used by the flagship E-M1 model. Unsurprisingly the PEN-F retains the Olympus unique selling point of on-board Art Filters, which can be applied to Full HD video as well as stills. These filters are now more easily accessed via the new Creative dial on the front of the camera, which also offers the new Mono, Color and CRT (Creative Color) options.

These four options form the creative heart of the PEN-F, offering very easy and precise control over the look and feel of JPEG images (if selected, the Raw file doesn't have the filter effects applied to it, so you get the best of both worlds). We particularly enjoyed using the Mono option, which works just like having a bag full of filters at your disposal, but is considerably more convenient to use and lighter to carry.

Most image stabilization systems compensate for camera shake by correcting yaw and pitch. Olympus's image stabilization mechanism additionally corrects for horizontal shift, vertical shift and rotary motion (rolling) for both still images and movies. The PEN-F now offers 5-stops of compensation complete with auto panning detection.

From the front the PEN-F has a pleasingly streamlined look, with just a round lens release button to the right of the lens mount, an AF assist lamp above that, with the aforementioned Creative dial and a customisable Function button on the left.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
Front of the Olympus PEN-F

There are no less than 28 different Art Filters in total. The Art Filter digital effects are applied at the time of capture which means write speeds are inevitably a couple of seconds longer than for regular images. When shooting using certain filters, such as Diorama or Dramatic Tone, the screen's refresh rate slows, providing a real time preview of how the eventual image may look.

On top is a vacant flash hotshoe that sits directly above the lens, with the On / Off switch on the left hand-side when viewed from the rear. On the right of the flash hotshoe is a prominently raised shooting mode dial with a surrounding ridged edge for easier purchase and a lock button in the centre, with the options being program, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual, four custom modes, video, and the iAuto mode. Cleverly located underneath the shooting mode dial is small lever that's used for making changes in the different creative modes.

Further to the right is the tactile shutter release button with a handy traditional screw-in cable release thread, with the Olympus PEN-F readying itself for action in a second or so. Squeeze down halfway on the shutter release and the PEN-F very nearly instantaneously responds thanks to the FAST (Frequency Acceleration Sensor Technology) system, the screen almost imperceptibly blurring before snapping back into focus, with the AF point flashing up in green with an accompanying bleep of confirmation. The PEN-F certainly delivers in terms of focusing speed and perhaps more importantly accuracy too, with very few false positives.

The PEN-F has a fully electronic shutter, which in addition expanding the top shutter speed to 1/16,000 sec, also allows for completely silent shooting and a clever anti-shock mode. This latter mode, which uses an electronic first-curtain shutter, helps to combat shutter shock, which can occur on the PEN-F when using the mechanical shutter at speeds between 1/60-1/200th second. Using either the anti-shock mode or the fully electronic shutter will avoid this unwanted effect.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
Tilting LCD Screen

Take the shot and when shooting RAW and SuperFine (top quality) JPEG in tandem there's a wait of an acceptable two seconds before the shot is fully committed to the memory card. Buffer memory is such however that you don't have to wait too long to squeeze off another shot if the opportunity presents itself (up to 16 Raw files). Action photographers will appreciate the fast burst rate of 10fps, although that's only achieved by locking the focus point at the first frame of the sequence - the PEN-F performs at a slightly more modest maximum speed of 5fps when continuously auto-focusing.

The number of selectable contrast AF points is 81 in a 9x9 grid. Low-light auto focus continues to be excellent – the system managed to focus down to -2EV (as long as there was something to focus on) even without the use of the focus assist lamp. This is seriously low light, about the same as a landscape lit only by moonlight and nothing else. It doesn't include the 37 on-sensor phase-detection auto focus points that the flagship E-M1 camera offers, though.

The shutter release is encircled by the first of two command dials. This one by default allows you to change the shutter speed or exposure compensation when using one of the more creative shooting modes, while the smaller second one that's positioned under your right thumb principally adjusts the aperture. It's a neat system that make using the manual mode in particular a lot simpler than on most rival cameras.

Alongside the exposure compensation dial (+-3EV) and completing the EM-10 II's top-plate is a small raised red video record button. Press this to record, or stop recording, no matter which shooting mode is otherwise selected on the top dial.

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II can record Full HD movies at a variety of frame rates (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p). The PEN-F can use its excellent 5-axis sensor-shift image stabiliser when shooting movies, which translates into smooth hand-held footage, even when using longer telephoto lens. Manual exposure can be enabled for videos, although you do have to rotate the mode dial to the Movie position to take advantage of this. (You can start filming in practically any other shooting mode too, but in that case, videos will always be recorded with auto exposure.) Audio is recorded in stereo PCM and uncompressed HDMI output is also possible, as is support for timecode. Shooting modes include Aperture priority, Art Filter, Manual, Program and Shutter priority, while one-shot echo and multiecho effects can be added to movies. New to the PEN-F is the ability to create 4K time lapse movies in-camera, although frustratingly playback is limited to just 5fps, and you can also capture high-speed VGA footage at 120fps.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
Rear of the Olympus PEN-F

Moving to the backplate of the PEN-F, the electronic viewfinder is automatically activated via the built-in eye sensor which optionally switches between the electronic viewfinder and EVF automatically, with a button for the dioptric adjustment on the right. Alongside is the user attributable 'Fn2' function button, which adjusts the gradation curve by default.

The EVF offers an impressively detailed 2.36 million dot unit with 100% field of view and 1.23x magnification. The PEN-F actually has two independent image-processing cores, one for the recorded images and the other for Live View images, so the live and recorded image appears very quickly on both the EVF and the rear screen. The Live Bulb feature cleverly updates the image on the rear screen at pre-set intervals during bulb shooting, giving you a live preview of the exposure, while the Live Composite Mode allows you to see a preview of long-exposure shots as they're being captured. The PEN-F also inherits the Super OVF mode, which as the name suggests simulates an optical finder, offering an "unprocessed" view of the scene in front of you.

The EVF helpfully displays key shooting information along the bottom of the viewfinder. Another boon to productivity is the ability to preview manual and creative adjustments live through the EVF without having to lower the camera to look at the rear screen. The EVF also benefits from the addition of Adaptive Brightness Control, which contributes to an improved viewing experience, and it also “gains up” in low light, making it arguably more usable than an optical finder.

The PEN-F is the latest Olympus compact system camera to feature capacitive touchscreen operation, although if you're not a fan you can for the most part get away without using it much at all, as there are a plethora of physical buttons which are either dedicated to specific functions or can be customized to suit. Indeed, the touch-sensitive interface hasn't led to a cleaner or more pared-down minimalist look.

The 3-inch 4:3 aspect ratio LCD screen has a resolution of 1.037million dots. Images look particularly vivid with plenty of contrast when viewed on the PEN-F's screen and happily this carries over when photos are downloaded to your desktop. The vari-angle design allows the screen to be tilted through 270°,and you can also fully articulate the screen from left to right as well which always proves useful when shooting video.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
Top of the Olympus PEN-F

Dragging a finger, and so the AF point, around the screen is a quick and easy way of following the subject, though inadvertently subsequently tapping it will cause the shutter to fire. This facility can be deactivated by prodding the relevant shutter button icon on the touch screen, but it's just as easy to accidentally turn it on again; even via an action as incongruous as the button of your shirt connecting with the screen as you're wearing the PEN-F on a neck strap, or the thumb of your left hand straying as you handle the camera. New to the PEN-F is the AF targeting pad feature, which allows you to move the focus point around the touchscreen using a finger whilst holding the camera up to your eye, which is very similar to Panasonic's Touchpad AF feature. There are no less than 800 AF points to choose from.

Olympus' Live Guide has once again been implemented on the PEN-F. This lets users try out picture adjustments with the aid of an onscreen slider bar to adjust the likes of depth of field and see the results in real time before pressing the shutter release button with accessibility extended beyond iAuto mode. The Live Guide options are presented as a colourful toolbar on the left hand side of the screen.

From the top we have the ability to change colour saturation, from 'clear & vivid' to 'flat & muted', next down is the ability to alter 'colour image', which translates as shifting the tone between warm and cool via slider bar, with the third option shifting brightness/exposure between a simple bright and dark. The fourth option down is probably the most interesting/effective in that it provides the ability to incrementally blur the background of your shot by again dragging an indicator on a slider - thus providing a similar shallow depth of field effect to that achievable with a DSLR and suitable aperture.

For its latest Live Guide option Olympus has retained the curiously named 'Express Motions'. There's the option to both blur any movement or stop it in its tracks, again achievable by dragging a slider indicator. The last option on this tool bar is an on-board shooting hints and tips manual, with the usual 'suspects' of photographing children and pets given the most prominence ('take a picture at their height level' being a summation of the level of advice imparted). We even get tips, as a bit of closet advertising, for attaching Olympus accessories, such as lens converters.

Embedded in the top of the rear thumb-grip is the customisable Function 1 button. Just below this are the self-explanatory Magnification, Menu and Info buttons, the latter toggling through various LCD views. Underneath again is a 4-way navigation controller with a central OK button - pressing this accesses the PEN-F's quick menu system, a handy onscreen vertical list of icons that provide quick access to most of the camera's main settings. In conjunction with the camera's plethora of external controls and its customisable buttons, this makes the PEN-F a pleasure to use. The final controls on the rear are the Delete and Playback buttons.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
The Olympus PEN-F in-hand

The Wi-fi implementation on the PEN-F is actually quite good. You first need to download a free app for your smartphone (Android and iOS versions are both available), but after that, everything is pretty straightforward. You simply touch the Wi-Fi icon on your camera's display to set up a connection. The Olympus PEN-F will provide you with an SSID and password, but you do not need to type in either of them – just launch the app on your phone and scan the QR code displayed by your camera with your phone. This is nearly as fast as using NFC (Near-Field Communication), a feature that the PEN-F doesn't offer. Once the connection is established, you can download images from the camera to your smartphone, or use the latter to remotely control the PEN-F. You can choose from a variety of shooting modes, set aperture, sensitivity, shutter speed and white balance, choose a drive mode, and focus on practically any part of the frame, all remotely.

The Olympus PEN-F has a time-lapse photography mode, which allows you to capture up to 999 frames at user-specified intervals. You can also tell the camera when to start the sequence, which comes in handy if you want to set up the camera well in advance. The PEN-F will save each shot in the format of your choice – ORF or JPEG – and can optionally create a time-lapse video in-camera, which you can play back on the rear screen, or upload to a website like Vimeo or YouTube. While shooting raw and creating a video afterwards on your PC gives you more control over grading, sharpening etc., the in-camera option is nice to have when shooting JPEG or raw+JPEG, as it is obviously much faster.

Focus bracketing is a great feature on the PEN-F, and one that the more expensive E-M5 II and E-M1 cameras don't currently offer. This lets you set the focus point and then automatically take up to 99 shots with focus adjustments around it, thereby greatly extending what is in focus. Unfortunately the PEN-F doesn't combine the shots either in-camera or in the supplied Olympus software, so you'll need to use Photoshop or a specialized software program like Helicon Focus to combine all of the shots into one image.

The menu system is similar to that of the professional OM-D E-M1. This is a complex, multi-level menu system that might not seem intuitive at first sight, especially to beginners, so reading the manual is a good idea before starting to explore it. The good news is that these menus are mainly there to allow you to set up the camera exactly the way you want it to be set up – once you're done with that, you'll seldom need to delve into the menus again, courtesy of the large number of external controls as well as the excellent Super Control Panel, which is basically an interactive status display inherited from older Olympus cameras.

Chunky lugs for attaching the supplied shoulder strap hang at either side of the camera, thankfully out of the way of fingers and controls. On the right hand flank, if viewing the camera from the back, we find a pair of covered ports for joint USB/AV output and mini HDMI output respectively. On the bottom of the PEN-F is a screw thread for attaching a tripod in-line with the lens mount, with the lockable shared battery/memory card compartment alongside. The BLN-5 rechargeable lithium-ion battery supplied with the PEN-F is good for around 330 shots or 80 minutes of video footage. There is the option to use all varieties of SD media card, up to and including SDXC cards.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 20 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 8Mb.

The Olympus PEN-F produced images of outstanding quality during the review period. It produces noise-free images at ISO 100 to 1600, with limited noise starting to appear at ISO 3200. ISO 6400 exhibits quite visible noise and loss of fine detail, and the fastest settings of ISO 12800 and 25600 are even noisier but still usable for small prints and web use.

The images were a little soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpening level and ideally require further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera setting if you don't like the default results. The Art Filters produce special effects that would otherwise require you to spend a lot of time in the digital darkroom. The image stabilisation system works excellently for both stills and video, even when hand-holding the camera at very slow shutter speeds.

Noise

There are 9 ISO settings available on the Olympus PEN-F. The base sensitivity is ISO 200, but there is an expanded low sensitivity setting equivalent to ISO 80.

JPEG RAW

ISO 80 (100% Crop)

ISO 80 (100% Crop)

iso100.jpg iso100raw.jpg
   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

iso200.jpg iso200raw.jpg
   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

iso400.jpg iso400raw.jpg
   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

iso800.jpg iso800raw.jpg
   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

iso1600.jpg iso1600raw.jpg
   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

iso3200.jpg iso3200raw.jpg
   

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

iso6400.jpg iso6400raw.jpg
   

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

iso12800.jpg iso12800raw.jpg
   

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

iso25600.jpg iso25600raw.jpg

File Quality

The file quality settings available on the Olympus PEN-F include Normal, Fine and Superfine for JPEGs, and you can also shoot in Olympus’s proprietary ORF raw file format. Do note that the Superfine setting must first be enabled from the menu in order to appear among the selectable quality options.

16M SuperFine (100% Crop) 16M Fine (100% Crop)
quality_superfine.jpg quality_fine.jpg
   
16M Normal (100% Crop) 16M RAW (100% Crop)
quality_normal.jpg quality_raw.jpg

Sharpening

The out-of-camera JPEGs are fairly sharp at the default setting but you can of course add some sharpening later in a program like Adobe Photoshop if needed. Here are two pairs of 100% crops – the right-hand images have had some post-capture sharpening applied.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

sharpen1.jpg sharpen1a.jpg
   
sharpen2.jpg sharpen2a.jpg

Night

The  Olympus PEN-F offers exposure times as long as 60 second in a metered exposure or up to 30 minutes in bulb mode, which is excellent news for anyone seriously interested in night photography. Live Bulb mode allows you to view the progression of exposure during a bulb exposure in real-time and a live view histogram shows how the exposure is built-up across all points of the image. The following picture was taken at a shutter speed of 15 seconds, aperture of f/8 at ISO 200.

Night

Night (100% Crop)

night1.jpg night1a.jpg

Image Stabilisation

The Olympus PEN-F comes with a 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilisation (IS) system, which allows you to take sharp hand-held photos at slower shutter speeds than with cameras that lack this feature. The following 100% crops are taken from images taken with a 17mm equivalent focal length with and without IS. The image stabilisation system also works during video capture, producing steady hand-held footage most of the time.

Focal Length / Shutter Speed

Off (100% Crop)

On (100% Crop)

17mm / 1/15th Second antishake1.jpg antishake1a.jpg

Art Filters

The Olympus PEN-F offers 28 so-called ‘art filters’, which allow you to quickly apply an artistic effect to a photo before taking it. Art filters are easily accessible via a dedicated setting on the mode dial on the front of the camera.

Off

Pop Art I

art_filters_01.jpg art_filters_02.jpg
   

Pop Art

II

Soft Focus

art_filters_03.jpg art_filters_04.jpg
   

Plae & Light Color I

Plae & Light Color II

art_filters_05.jpg art_filters_06.jpg
   
Light Tone Grainy Film I
art_filters_07.jpg art_filters_08.jpg
   
Grainy Film II Pin Hole I
art_filters_09.jpg art_filters_10.jpg
   
Pin Hole II Pin Hole III
art_filters_11.jpg art_filters_12.jpg
   
Diorama I Diorama II
art_filters_13.jpg art_filters_14.jpg
   
Cross Process I Cross Process II
art_filters_15.jpg art_filters_16.jpg
   
Gentle Sepia Dramatic Tone I
art_filters_17.jpg art_filters_18.jpg
   
Dramatic Tone II Key Line I
art_filters_19.jpg art_filters_20.jpg
   
Key Line I Watercolor I
art_filters_21.jpg art_filters_22.jpg
   
Watercolor II Vintage I
art_filters_23.jpg art_filters_24.jpg
   
Vintage II Vintage III
art_filters_25.jpg art_filters_26.jpg
   
Partial Color I Partial Color II
art_filters_27.jpg art_filters_28.jpg
   
Partial Color III  
art_filters_29.jpg  

Picture Modes

Olympus' Picture Modes are essentially pre-set combinations of saturation, contrast and sharpness, except for the i-Enhance mode that aims to optimise each photo individually. You can tailor each Picture Mode to your needs. The following examples demonstrate the differences across the available Picture Modes.

i-Enhance

Vivid

picture_modes_01.jpg picture_modes_02.jpg
   

Natural

Muted

picture_modes_03.jpg picture_modes_04.jpg
   

Portrait

Monochrome

picture_modes_05.jpg picture_modes_06.jpg

Multiple Exposure

The Olympus PEN-F has a Multiple Exposure feature allowing you to combine multiple exposures to create a composite image in-camera.

multiple_exposure.jpg

HDR

In High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode, the camera takes a number of photos in rapid succession, at different exposure settings, and combines them into a single high-dynamic-range image. There are two options, HDR1 and HDR2. In our experience, HDR1 usually yields a credible image but HDR2 tends to produce flat, unrealistic results.

Off

HDR1

hdr_01.jpg hdr_02.jpg
   

HDR2

 
hdr_03.jpg  

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Olympus PEN-F camera, which were all taken using the 20 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Olympus PEN-F enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Olympus RAW (ORF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 50 frames per second. Please note that this 25 second movie is 91.3Mb in size.

Product Images

Olympus OM-D E-M10 II

Front of the Olympus PEN-F

 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II

Front of the Olympus PEN-F

 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II

Side of the Olympus PEN-F

 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II

Side of the Olympus PEN-F

 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II

Side of the Olympus PEN-F

 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II

Side of the Olympus PEN-F

 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II

Rear of the Olympus PEN-F

 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II

Rear of the Olympus PEN-F

 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II

Rear of the Olympus PEN-F / Image Displayed

 

Olympus OM-D E-M10 II

Rear of the Olympus PEN-F / Turned On

 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
Rear of the Olympus PEN-F / Main Menu
 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
Rear of the Olympus PEN-F / Tilting LCD Screen
 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
Rear of the Olympus PEN-F / Tilting LCD Screen
 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
Top of the Olympus PEN-F
 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
Bottom of the Olympus PEN-F
 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
Side of the Olympus PEN-F
 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
Side of the Olympus PEN-F
 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
Front of the Olympus PEN-F
 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
Front of the Olympus PEN-F
 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
Memory Card Slot
 
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The gorgeous new Olympus PEN-F takes all of the latest cutting-edge features from the company's OM-D range, throws in a brand new 20-megapixel sensor, and and houses them inside one of the most beautifully realised camera bodies that we've ever had the pleasure to use. With its lovingly crafted dials, robust body and screw-less design, the PEN-F also majors on function as well as form, with an intuitive interface and a wealth of customisable controls making it a veritable pleasure to use. The PEN range has definitely returned with a bang.

There are only really two flies in the ointment that spoil the PEN-F launch party, and they're both to do with the price-tag. At £999 / $1199, the PEN-F is competing with the big-boys of the compact system camera market, not to mention higher-end APS-C DSLR cameras. And there's a skeleton in the Olympus closet too, in the form of the much cheaper, but almost as well-specced E-M10 Mark II camera - the two models share very similar specification sheets. The comparable Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8, which shares the same 20-megapixel sensor, also substantially undercuts the PEN-F, although the two may get closer in price in a few months time. The GX8 is also crucially weather-resistant, something that the PEN-F notably lacks (so that's three flies then).

Still, the new Olympus PEN-F is trying to appeal to your emotions as much as your wallet, and in our view it succeeds in making your heart rule your head. Olympus' engineering team have obviously spent a lot of time and effort in getting the look, feel and usability of the PEN-F just right, creating a camera that's both retro but also thoroughly modern, and in our view worthy of our highest accolade.

5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 5
Features 5
Ease-of-use 4.5
Image quality 5
Value for money 4

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Olympus PEN-F.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

The long-awaited Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR has finally arrived, boasting improvements to virtually every aspect of its popular predecessor, the 5-year-old 7D. Can an APS-C sensor DSLR camera still compete in the fast-changing photography market? Read our detailed Canon EOS 7D Mark II review to find out...

Fujifilm X-T1

The Fujifilm X-T1 is a brand new compact system camera that looks, feels and performs very much like a classic DSLR that''s been shrunk in the wash. Is this the best X-series camera that Fujifilm have released, and can it compete with the likes of the Sony A7/A7R and Olympus OM-D E-M1, not to mention DSLRs from Canon and Nikon? Read our in-depth Fujifilm X-T1 review to find out...

Fujifilm X-T10

The Fujifilm X-T10 is a new mid-range compact system camera that inherits most of the key features of the flagship X-T1 model. Does the X-T10 cut too many corners to hit its aggressive £499 / $799 price-tag, or does it offer a compelling blend of features, performance and price? Read our in-depth Fujifilm X-T10 review to find out...

Nikon D7200

The D7200 is a new prosumer DSLR camera from Nikon, succeeding the D7100 model from 2013. The weather-proof D7200 features a 24 megapixel DX image sensor, Multi-CAM 3500-II 51-point autofocusing system, wi-fi and NFC connectivity, 6fps burst shooting and a high-resolution 3.2 inch LCD screen. Read our detailed Nikon D7200 review to find out if it's the right DSLR camera for you...

Olympus OM-D E-M10 II

The new Olympus OM-D E-M10 II is a new entry-level mirrorless camera with some pro-level features - 5-axis image stabilisation, 8.5fps burst shooting, 4K time-lapse movies, electronic shutter - housed in a small, lightweight and stylish body. Is this the best compact system camera under £550 / $650? Read our in-depth Olympus OM-D E-M10 II review to find out...

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 is a new premium compact system camera aimed firmly at enthusiast photographers. With a new 20 megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor, dual lens and in-body image stabilization, built-in tilting electronic OLED viewfinder, 3 inch free-angle OLED touchscreen, 4K video and photo modes, integrated wi-fi and NFC connectivity, and a weather-proof rangefinder-like design, can the Panasonic GX8 live up to its early promise? Read our in-depth Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 review complete with sample images, test shots, videos and more to find out...

Pentax K-3 II

The new Pentax K-3 II DSLR camera builds on the success of the excellent K-3 model with a number of key improvements. Is this the best ever Pentax DSLR? Read our in-depth Pentax K-3 II review to find out...

Sony A6000

The Sony A6000 is a new compact system camera that features the fastest auto-focusing system in the world. With a 24.3 megapixel APS HD CMOS sensor, 1080p HD movies, high-res 3 inch OLED screen, electronic viewfinder and built-in flash, the Sony NEX-6 also offers 11fps burst shooting, wi-fi and NFC connectivity, and downloadable PlayMemories Camera Apps. Read our full Sony A6000 review to find out if it's the best Sony NEX camera yet...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Olympus PEN-F from around the web.

stevehuffphoto.com »

It’s been an amazing last few days. I am here in Austin TX and have had the opportunity to shoot with the brand spanking new Olympus PEN-F every day which is by far, the best Olympus digital PEN EVER. Hands down, no contest. No Hype, No B.S., No Lie. This review will be one of the very 1st full REVIEWS in the world of the PEN-F. Enjoy!
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blog.mingthein.com »

After being limited to 16MP for nearly four years, we now have a marginal increase in resolution – to 20MP, matching the Panasonic GX8 announced last year (and quite possibly sharing the same sensor, too). The PEN F is another retro-tastic design clearly inspired by the original film half-frame PEN F, right down to the knob on the front vertical face of the camera.
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Specifications

Type

  • Body material

    Aluminium

  • Lens mount

    Micro Four Thirds

Image Sensor

  • Type

    4/3'' Live MOS sensor

  • Effective pixels

    20.3 Megapixels

  • Filter array

    Primary colour filter (RGB)

  • Aspect ratio & area

    4:3 / 17.4 x 13.0mm

  • Full resolution

    21.8 Megapixels

Engine

  • Type

    TruePic VII

Filter

  • Dust reduction filter

    Supersonic Wave Filter

Viewfinder

  • Type

    Electronical Viewfinder

  • Pixel number

    2.360K dots

  • Diopter adjustment

    -4.0 - +2.0 diopters / built-in type

  • Field of view

    Approx. 100%

  • Magnification

    Max. 1.23x with a 50mm lens set to infinity at -1 dioptre (depending on selected viewfinder style)

  • Eye point

    20mm at -1 dioptre from eyepiece lens

  • Style

    3 styles selectable

  • Displayed information

    • Aperture value
    • Shutter speed
    • AF frame (super impose)
    • AF confirmation mark
    • AF lock
    • Auto bracket
    • Battery check
    • Exposure compensation indicator
    • Exposure compensation value indicator
    • Exposure level indicator
    • Exposure mode
    • Flash
    • FP flash
    • IS activating mode
    • Metering mode
    • Number of storable sequential pictures
    • White balance
    • Level Gauge
    • Highlight & Shadow
    • Live Pre-view function
    • Histogram
  • Brightness adjustment

    Adaptive Brightness Technology / Manual settings: +/- 2 levels

  • Correction of colour temperature

    +/- 3 levels

  • S-OVF

    Expands the Live View dynamic range

  •  

    *Available in the EVF when in P, A, S and M modes. Art filter, WB and exposure are not reflected in EVF.

Live View

  • Displayed information

    • Aperture
    • Shutter speed
    • Auto bracket
    • AE lock
    • Focus mode
    • Shooting mode
    • Battery check
    • IS activating mode
    • Face / Eye detection mode
    • Record mode
    • ISO
    • Sequential shooting mode
    • White Balance
    • Metering mode
    • Exposure compensation value
    • AF frame display
    • AF confirmation mark
    • Shooting information
    • Spot metering area
    • Super FP
    • Flash status
    • Touch Panel Condition
    • Focal length
    • Flash mode
    • Histogram
    • Level Gauge
    • Highlight & Shadow
    • Focus peaking
    • Number of storable pictures
    • Custom
    • Face detection
    • Flash intensity
    • WiFi
  • 100% field of view

    Approx. 100%

  • Magnification levels

    3 / 5 / 7 / 10 / 14x

  • Dynamic range expansion

    When in HDR1 or HDR2

  • Display modes

    • Standard information
    • Histogram
    • Level Gauge
    • Off

Image Stabiliser

  • Type

    Sensor shift

  • Modes

    Five-dimensional, vertical or horizontal activation, automatic

  •  

    Up to 5 EV steps ((CIPA))

Focusing System

  • Method

    Contrast Detection AF system

  • Focus areas

    81 points / All target, Group target (9-areas), Single target (normal), Single target (small)

  •  

    800 points / Manual selection in Magnified View Mode

  • AF lock

    Yes; Locked by first position of shutter release button in single AF mode, AE/AF lock button (customised)

  • Modes

    • Manual focus
    • Single AF
    • Continuous AF
    • Single AF + MF
    • AF Tracking
  • AF illuminator

    Yes

  • AF targeting pad

    Yes (activate/deactivate with double tap on rear monitor)

  • Full time AF

    Yes

  • Manual focus

    Yes; With enlarged focusing area or focus peaking

  • Face Detection extension

    • Eye Detect AF: Off
    • Left side priority
    • Near side priority
    • Right side priority
  • Predictive AF

    Yes

  • AF tracking

    Yes; Available in continuous AF mode

  • Focus peaking

  • Colour selection

    White, black, red, yellow

  • Intensity

    High / Normal / Low

  • Back light effect

    On / Off

  • Focus Bracketing Mode

  • Number of images

    3 - 999shots

  • Step size

    10levels

  •  

    Compatible with: All Micro Four Thirds AF lenses

Exposure System

  • Modes

    • Programme automatic
    • Aperture priority
    • Shutter priority
    • Manual
    • Bulb
    • Time
    • Live Composite
    • i-Auto
    • Scene Modes
    • Art Filter
    • Photo Story
    • Movie
    • HDR
    • My Mode
  • Exposure compensation

    +/- 5 EV (1, 1/2, 1/3 steps)

  •  

    Note: Monitor and EVF displays only up to ±3 EV.

  • Exposure bracketing

    2 / 3 / 5 frames (+/- 1/3, 2/3, 1 EV steps)

  •  

    7 frames (+/- 1/3, 2/3 EV steps)

  • ISO bracketing

    3 frames (1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps)

  • AE lock

    Yes

  • My Mode

    4 settings storable

  • Enhancement function

    Digital Shift

  •  

    Shadow Adjustment Technology

  • HDR bracketing

    3 / 5 frames (+/- 2 / 3 EV steps)

  •  

    7 frames (+/- 2 EV steps)

Scene Modes

  • Number of scene modes

    24

  • Modes

    • Portrait
    • e-Portrait
    • Landscape
    • Landscape with Portrait
    • Macro
    • Sports
    • Night Scene
    • Night Scene with portrait
    • Children
    • High key
    • Low key
    • Digital Image Stabilisation
    • Nature Macro
    • Candle
    • Sunset
    • Documents
    • Panorama
    • Fireworks
    • Beach and Snow
    • Fisheye converter
    • Macro converter
    • 3D*
    • Wide converter
    • Hand-held Starlight**
    • Panning
  •  

    * Only for stills and with usage of 3D lens (H-FT012)

  •  

    ** 8 images automatically shot and combined into a single image composite

Multi-Exposure

  • Max. number of frames

    2 frames (shooting)

  •  

    3 frames (editing)

  • Auto gain control

    Yes

  • Frame assistance

    Live View

Light Metering

  • Method

    TTL open aperture light metering

  • Zones

    324 zones Multi-pattern Sensing System

  • Detection range

    -2 - 20 EV (17mm f2.8, ISO 100)

  • Modes

    • ESP light metering
    • Spot metering
    • Centre weighted metering
    • Highlight
    • Shadow

Art Filter

  • Modes

    • Pop Art
    • Soft Focus
    • Pale & Light Colour
    • Light Tone
    • Grainy Film
    • Pin Hole
    • Diorama
    • Cross Process
    • Dramatic Tone
    • Gentle Sepia
    • Key Line
    • Water colour
    • Vintage
    • Partial Colour*
  • Variation / Effect

    Available

  • Art Filter bracketing

    Art Filters selectable

Photo Story

  • Modes

    • Fun Frame
    • Standard
    • Speed
    • Zoom in / out
    • Layout

Sensitivity

  • Auto

    ISO LOW* - 25600 (customisable, default ISO LOW - 1600)

  • Manual

    ISO LOW - 25600 in 1/3 or 1 EV ISO steps

  •  

    *approx. 80

Shutter

  • Shutter type

    Computerised focal-plane shutter

  • Self timer

    2s / 12s / Custom

Shutter Speeds

  • Shutter speed range

    1/8000 - 60s (in 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps)

  • Bulb mode

    Up to 30 minutes (selectable longest time in the menu, default: 8 minutes)

  • Composite mode

    Max. shooting time: 3h

  • High res shot

  • Shutter type

    Electronic shutter

  • Shutter speed

    1/8000 - 8s

  • Start delay

    0, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 15. 30s

  • Resolution

    JPEG: 8160 x 6120 / RAW: 10368 x 7776

  •  

    Equivalent to 50M pixel sensor (8 shots combined into a single JPEG using sensor shift)

  •  

    Available in P/A/S/M mode

  • Anti shock mode

  • Shutter type

    Electronic first curtain shutter

  • Shutter speed

    1/320* - 60s

  • Start delay

    0, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30s

  •  

    * For speeds over 1/320 sec., mechanical shutter will automatically be selected.

  • Silent mode

  • Shutter type

    Electronic shutter

  • Shutter speed

    1/16000 - 60s

  • Start delay

    0, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 15. 30s

White Balance

  • AUTO WB system

    Advanced detection system with Live MOS sensor

  • Manual White balance (One-Touch)

    Yes

  • White balance bracketing

    3 frames / +/- 2, 4, 6 mired steps

  • One-touch white balance

    2 custom settings can be registered

  • Custom WB

    1 setting can be registered at Kelvin temperature (2000K - 14000K)

  • Preset values

    • Tungsten
    • Flourescent 1
    • Sunlight
    • Flash
    • Overcast
    • Shade
    • Underwater
  • Auto Flash adjustment

    Off / Auto WB / Flash

  • Keep warm colour

    On / Off

Sequence Shooting

  • Speed (H)

    Approx. 10fps

  • Speed (L)

    5fps

  • Max. number of frames

    16 frames (RAW)

  •  

    Up to card capacity (JPG / Large Normal mode)

  • Conditions

    Memory card: TOSHIBA SDHC UHS-II R95 W90 EXCERIA™

  •  

    When using the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm 1:3.5-6.3 EZ

Image Processing

  • Colour space

    sRGB / AdobeRGB

  • Sharpness + Contrast

    5 levels

  • Contrast

    5 levels

  • Saturation

    5 levels

  • Gradation

    4levels (auto, high key, normal, low key)

  • Engine

    TruePic VII

  • Picture mode

    • i-Enhance
    • Vivid
    • Natural
    • Muted
    • Portrait
    • Monotone
    • Custom
    • e-Portrait
    • Colour creator
    • Art Filter
    • Colour Profile Control
    • Monochrome Profile Control
  • Art Filter bracketing

    Available

  • Tele converter effect

    2x

  • Highlight & Shadow control

    Highlight / Shadow / Midtone +/- 7steps

  • Colour Profile Control

  • Saturation

    +/- 5levels 12colours

  • Custom preset values

    3 (Highlight and Shadow can be combined)

  • Monochrome Profile Control

  • Black & White filter

    Red, Orange, Yellow, Yellow-green, Green, Cyan, Blue, Magenta

  • Intensity

    3levels

  • Shading effect

    +/- 5

  • Film grain effect

    Low / Medium / High

  • Black & White toning

    Sepia, Blue, Purple, Green

  • Custom preset values

    3 (Highlight and Shadow can be combined)

Internal Flash

  • Modes

    • AUTO
    • Manual
    • Manual (Full, 1/4, 1/16, 1/64)
    • Red-eye reduction
    • Slow synchronisation with red-eye reduction
    • Slow synchronisation
    • Slow synchronisation 2nd curtain
    • Fill-in
    • Off
    • TTL-Auto
    • FP Manual
    • FP TTL Auto
  • Type

    Detachable flash with bounce capability (bundled)

  • Flash compensation

    +/- 3 EV / 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps

  • Guide number

    12.9 (ISO 200)

  • X-sync speed

    1/250s / 1/8000s (Super FP Mode)

External Flash Control

  • X-sync speed

    1/250s / 1/8000s (Super FP Mode)

  •  

    < 1/20s (Silent Mode)

  • Type

    TTL AUTO, AUTO, MANUAL, FP TTL AUTO, FP MANUAL

  • Modes

    • Auto
    • Red-eye reduction
    • Slow synchronisation
    • 2nd curtain and slow synchronisation
    • Fill-in for exclusive flash
    • Manual
  • Intensity

    +/- 3 EV (1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps)

  •  

    Note: Some functions are only available if they are supported by the external flash.

Wireless Flash Control

  • Number of channels

    4 channels

  • Compatible external flash

    FL-36R, FL-50R, FL-300R, FL-600R

  • Control method

    Triggered and controlled by bundled flash

  • Group setting

    4 groups

  •  

    Available when used together with cameras compatible with the Olympus wireless RC flash system.

Monitor

  • Monitor type

    Vari-angle LCD - Touch Panel

  • Monitor size

    7.6cm / 3.0'' (3:2)

  • Resolution

    1037K dots

  • Brightness adjustment

    +/- 7 levels

  • Colour balance

    +/- 7 levels Vivid (default) / Natural

  • Touch Control fucntions

    • AF area enlargement
    • AF area selection
    • Art Filter
    • Enlargement
    • Enlargement playback
    • Frame forward/backward
    • Live Guide
    • Scene Modes
    • Shooting mode
    • Shutter release
    • Super Control Panel
    • Wifi connection

Level Gauge

  • Detection

    2-axis

  • Display

    Rear display and viewfinder

Recording Formats

  • RAW

    12bit

  • RAW & JPEG

    Yes; parallel recording

  • JPEG

    Yes

  • Aspect ratio

    4:3 / 3:2 / 16:9 / 6:6 / 3:4

  • MPO (3D)

    Yes

Image Size

  • RAW

    5184 x 3888

  •  

    5184 x 3888 Fine (compression: 1/4)

  •  

    5184 x 3888 Normal (compression: 1/8)

Still Image Recording

  • EXIF

    2.2

  • PIM

    III

  • DPOF

    Yes

  • DCF

    Yes

Movie Recording System

  • Recording format

    MOV(MPEG-4AVC/H.264), AVI(Motion JPEG)

  • Time code

    Rec run / Free run

  •  

    Drop frame / Non-drop frame

  • Image Stabilisation Mode

    Yes; Sensor shift (5-axis)

  •  

    M-IS1 (Image sensor shift and electronic image stabilizer with multi motion IS)

  •  

    M-IS2 (Image sensor shift with multi motion IS)

  • HD Movie quality

    Full HD 1920 x 1080 (16:9) / 30p, 25p, 24p / ALL-I(A-I), IPB(SF, F, N) (MOV)

  •  

    Full HD 1920 x 1080 (16:9) / 60p, 50p / IPB(SF, F, N) (MOV)

  •  

    HD 1280 x 720 (16:9) / 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p / ALL-I(A-I), IPB(SF, F, N) (MOV)

  •  

    ALL-I (A-I: ~ 77Mbps)

  •  

    IPB (SF: ~52Mbps, F: ~30Mbps, N: ~18Mbps)

  •  

    HD 1280 x 720 (16:9) / 30p (MOV)

  • Movie quality

    640 x 480 / 30p (AVI Motion JPEG®)

  • Maximum Recording Time

    29min (MOV)

  •  

    14min (SD) / 7min (HD) (AVI Motion JPEG®)*

  • Max. file size

    4GB (AVCHD)

  •  

    2GB (Motion-JPEG)

  • Exposure Modes

    • Aperture priority
    • Art Filter
    • Manual
    • Programme automatic
    • Shutter priority
  •  

    Class 10 or higher SD card is recommended for movie shooting

  •  

    UHS-II or UHS-I U3 card is recommended for ALL-I shooting

Movie Specialties

  • Time lapse

    4k, 1080p, 720p (AVI Motion JPEG®)

  • Fast motion

    Yes

  • Slow motion

    Yes

  • Movie clips

    1, 2, 4, 8s

  •  

    (Extension up to 16s by pressing record button before clip ends.)

  • Movie effects

    • Multi shot echo
    • One shot echo
    • Art fade
    • One push tele-converter
    • Old Film
  • Art Filter

    • Cross Process
    • Diorama
    • Dramatic Tone
    • Gentle Sepia
    • Grainy Film
    • Key Line
    • Light Tone
    • Pale & Light Colour
    • Pin Hole
    • Pop Art
    • Soft Focus
    • Vintage
    • Partial Colour*
  •  

    * 18 colours selectable

  •  

    Frame rate limited to 30fps or lower

  • HDMI Live View

    Yes (GUI* is shown on connetced device only and peaking is not available)

  •  

    * GUI can be hidden for recording on external drive under following condition. Movie type: YCbCr 4:2:2 / Frame rate: as set / Sound: no

Sound Recording System

  • Internal microphone

    Stereo

  • Recording format

    Stereo PCM/16bit, 48kHz, Wave Format Base

  • Image footage

    30s

  • Speaker

    Yes

  • Microphone functions

    • Wind Noise Reduction
    • Recording Volume
    • Volume limiter
    • Audio Dubbing

View Images

  • Modes

    • Index
    • Calendar
    • Zoom
    • Slide show
    • Movie
    • Single
  • Light box

    Yes

  • Histogram in playback mode

    Yes

  • Shooting information

    Off / On

  • Highlight/Shadow point warning

    Yes

Erase / Protect / Copy Function

  • Erase modes

    Single, All, Selected

  • Image protect mode

    Single frame, Selected frames, All Frames, Release protect (Single/All selected)

Menu

  • Menu languages in camera

    English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Czech, Dutch, Danish, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Croatian, Slovenian, Hungarian, Greek, Slovak, Turkish, Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Serbian

Customisation Options

  • Fn Button

    Yes

  • My Mode

    4 settings storable (Can be set to mode dial.)

  • Factory reset

    Full / Basic

  • Programmable button

    Yes

Interface

  • Hot shoe

    Yes

  • Media

    SD Memory Card (SDHC, SDXC, UHS-I/II compatible

  • HDMI™

    Yes; Micro connector (Type D) *

  • USB 2.0 High Speed

    Yes

  • Combined V & USB output

    Yes; NTSC or PAL selectable

  • Wireless connectivity

    WiFi

  •  

    * "HDMI", the HDMI logo and "High-Definition Multimedia Interface" are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.

Wi-Fi Functions

  • Easy Connection

    QR code setting

  • Wireless Shooting

    • Live View
    • Power off
    • Rec View
    • Self timer
    • Touch AF & Shutter
    • P/A/S/M exposure modes
    • Bulb mode
    • Zoom
    • Movie recording
    • Live Composite

Power Supply

  • Battery

    BLN-1 Lithium-Ion Battery

  • Sleep mode

    1, 3, 5, 10 min. and off selectable.

  • Battery life

    Approx. 330 shots (using BLN-1 and TOSHIBA SD with IS ON, based on CIPA test standards)

  • Movie recording

    80min (standard JEITA conditions) 140min (when zoom and other operational functions are not used)

Environment

  • Temperature

    0 - 40°C Operating temperature / -20 - 60°C storage temperature

  • Humidity

    30 - 90% operation humidity / 10 - 90% storage humidity

Size

  • Dimensions (W x H x D)

    124.8 x 72.1 x 37.3mm (without protrusions)

  • Weight

    427g (including battery and memory card)

  •  

    373g (body only)

Exterior

  • Available Colours

    • Black
    • Silver
 
 

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